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EMU at Drake men’s basketball open thread

Tonight’s men’s basketball game at Drake is the second half of a men’s-women’s doubleheader; the Drake women’s team will host North Dakota State at 6 PM (Eastern), with the game we’re interested in scheduled to tip off at 9:05. (Remember that Drake is in the Central time zone, so you may see references to the games being at 5 and 8:05.)

This game is the second half of a home-and-home with Drake, and it’s the second such series between the two teams. In November, 1996, EMU won in Des Moines, 96-81, following it up the next year with a 86-58 win in Ypsilanti. Last year the Bulldogs returned to Ypsilanti and got their first win over the Eagles, 58-54, and this year Drake is favored by 11.5 points.

Drake players to watch include Rayvonte Rice, a slashing guard who leads the team with 17.3 points per game, Ben Simons, who’s making 51% (23 of 45) of his three-point attempts this year, and Jordan Clarke, who leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game. The way three-point shooters have been lighting up EMU this year, I’d be most concerned about Simons, and I hope Rob Murphy has spent some extra time this week coaching up the three-point defense.